Folly
by xQueen Nothingx
Summary: Careful and pragmatic, Amanda was born and raised to be the perfect criminal. Gustavo assigns her to 'babysit' Jesse, keeping tabs on Walter when the opportunity arises. However, she seems to be slipping and starts making fatal mistakes that will change the chemistry of the group forever. Can she survive Heisenburg and keep her loved ones alive?
1. In the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Folly

Chapter 1: In the Valley of the Shadow of Death

"Are you serious, Gus?" The small woman asked, her gray eyes staring somberly over the desk.

"Yes, Amanda, perfectly," Gustavo nodded, blinking once, and then continued to stare expressionlessly at the girl's worn features.

"You're lucky I picked you," she sighed, standing up and grabbing the bag of money the elder man pushed towards her.

"You know what to do," Gustavo smiled, and made to show the woman out the door.

As she crossed the threshold, she turned once and gave the tycoon an ambiguous smile, "I missed you."

Gustavo closed his eyes as a sign of agreement, and in that space of time the woman was gone. He could hear the faint echo as she made her way across the roof, down the gutter and to her car. The loud rev of the engine signaled her departure, then the dusty warehouse was left in silence.

"You did not wish to see your daughter?" Gustavo asked the empty air.

Slowly, a bald head emerged from behind a pile of rubble not more than a few yards away. Mike Ehrmantraut took slow strides to stand before his employer, "No, I didn't. How do you think she would react to seeing half my ear blown off?"

"I see your point," Gustavo conceded with a nod.

"So, why charge her with lookin' after Pinkman?" The grizzled man questioned with a cock of his head. He was not challenging, just merely curious.

Gustavo knew well that Mike would let the matter drop if he wanted it to be so. He also trusted this man with his life, so he felt like a little indulgence wasn't crossing the line. "I need someone he will begin to trust, somebody that _I_ trust."

"Well, you picked the right person for the job," Mike sighed, then took his leave.

Gustavo once more returned to the relative quiet of his office. He shut the door, catching the lock with a soft _click_, and resumed his seat with perfect posture. For a moment, he stared at his reflection in the window.

It was smiling.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Amanda was growing weary of knocking. She was none too excited about her current assignment to begin with, but she was already starting to view it as a chore. She could smell the fumes of various intoxicants through the cracks in the door, and music could be heard throughout the house.

"Don't know why I even bother," the girl mumbled, slipping around the back of the house when nobody was looking. She walked up to the back door, extracted two tiny tools from her pocket, and gently wiggled them into the keyhole. In seconds, the lock turned and she was fully assaulted by the racket. _Mental note-tell off Gustavo, _she thought as she shuffled through empty chip bags and candy wrappers, a_nd teach this kid how to freaking live normally._

"Who's there?" A male voice asked from around the corner. The music shut off, and now silence pervaded the filthy domicile.

"Your Great Aunt Gertrude. Now put the gun down, and come out where I can see you," Amanda commanded in a somewhat irritated tone.

"You sound like Mike, but you're a chick? Is that who sent you here?" The young man continued, rounding the corner with his gun still raised.

"Put that down, Jesse," The woman demanded, leaning behind a wall and readying her own weapon.

"Not unless you tell me why you're here."

Amanda sighed, "Look, Gustavo sent me to make sure you don't end up face down in a Mexican ditch. I'm your babysitter, so-to-speak."

"Great, a _babysitter_. Just what _I_ need!" Jesse threw his hands in the air and began to shuffle back into the depths of his musty den.

"Do you think I honestly want to spend my days with the likes of you? Its a waste of talent, I tell ya' what."

"A waste of talent? And what talents could you possibly have to waste? You look more like a stripper than a bodyguard, honestly," Jesse stated.

"Then this must be your lucky day. It's not often that a man of your age gets his own personal stripper," Amanda teased, taking no offense to his dig. She knew what she was, and she had dealt with many a soul akin to Jesse Pinkman.

"Yeah, well there's a pole right there," Jesse stated, though when he turned he found that Amanda was halfway through giving his address out over the phone. He began to lurch towards her on instinct, then paused when he heard the nature of the conversation.

"Yes, I'd like two boxes of fried rice, three eggrolls, an order of teriaki chicken, Kung Pao chicken, peppersteak, and wonton soup...Cash. Yes, that will be all...thank you!" she finished, then clicked the small red device shut.

"Are you going to eat all that by yourself?" Jesse asked sarcastically.

Amanda merely lifted a brow and shuffled over to the television, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one. She gave Jesse an inquisitive look and extended the pack towards him.

The young man surveyed her skeptically before accepting her offer, dropping into a chair beside her.

"So how long are you going to be here?" Jesse questioned.

"Until I receive a telephone call relieving me of my duties," Amanda explained, flicking through the channels before turning the screen off with an exasperated sigh.

Silence settled over the two for a few moments as they each smoked their cigarette in discomfort. Eventually, Jesse began glancing over to the young woman as if he had something to say.

"Spit it out," she commanded without even turning her head.

"So, you got a name?"

The woman laughed, "Amanda."

"Huh, I never pegged you for an Amanda. Maybe Helga, or somethin' like that," Jesse teased, a sly grin crossing his face as he chanced a peek at his moody companion.

Amanda chuckled. "Yes, that sounds quite lovely. From now on you are to call me Frau Helga," she spat her new name in a harsh German accent before falling back in laughter.

Jesse chuckled, though a little uncomfortably, but seemed to warm slightly from his frosty stance. "So you do have a sense of humor. I was starting to think you would be just like the others," he confided.

"We have similarities that the others do not. For example, guarding you during lab hours is much different than having to live with you. Imagine what kind of hell that would be for the both of us? Not to mention, we are similar in age and opposite in gender," Amanda explained.

"If this is business, then what does it matter about age and gender?" Jesse questioned.

Amanda blinked then chuckled heartily, "With humans, that is always a factor. As much as we would like to pretend, we simply cannot escape it."

Jesse took a somber repose as he thought Amanda's statement over. He didn't want to admit it straight away, but he felt as if she were exactly right. He also felt slightly abashed, for he too had been pretending. However, despite his efforts he could not control his emotions towards women, especially the pretty ones close to his own age. Now that he thought about it as inevitable, those judgments seemed almost easy to overcome.

"So are you tryin' to say I look good?" Jesse ribbed, seeing how far he could lure the woman into conversation.

"And if I was?" Amanda countered.

Jesse looked down at his hands and fidgeted with his watch, feeling as if he had a loaded tongue but no will to exercise it. "It's about time I start getting ready for the lab," he explained, excusing himself to the shower.

Amanda listened casually to Jesse's movements, going over their first interaction in her mind. She didn't want to get too comfortable with her assignment, yet she didn't want it to be overbearingly serious and boring. Eventually, Jesse would start to resent her presence anyway and begin to make her life miserable. From the way Gustavo had explained the situation, she felt like her stay would be a while.

A low thrum started in her pocket, paused for a few seconds, and then continued it's incessant call. Upon further inspection, she realized that it was her father.

"Hey Dad," she quipped with a smile, for she was expecting him to touch base. There was no doubt Gustavo inform him of her return home.

"Hey sweetie. I'm sorry, but I'm not just checking in," Mike drawled from the other end. From the tone of his voice, he was very irritated.

"Okay...," Amanda trailed, waiting for the further details.

"There's a problem at the lab. Have Pinkman bring you there immediately," the elder man intoned, pausing for her affirmation.

"Does he have time to complete his shower?"

"I'm afraid not, kiddo."

"Got it," Amanda confirmed and clicked her phone shut once more. Gathering herself, the slender wisp of a woman practically floated up the stairs in her hurry.

"Woah! Haven't you like, heard of personal space?" Jesse yelped as Amanda thrust open the door and exposed his naked form behind the clear panes of glass.

"We need to get to the lab immediately. Time is of the essence," Amanda explained, pulling a towel from the door as Jesse stopped the water.

"What? What's going on?" He asked, furtively attempting to hide his genitals from public display.

"Jesse, I know what a penis looks like and yours isn't anything to hide. Stop acting like a school girl in the locker room, would yah?" Amanda teased, rolling her eyes at the ceiling.

"Whatever man, just tell me what's happening alright?"

"Well, we're just going to have to find out when we get there."


	2. American Nightmare

A/N: Alrighty, rolling with the flow and I hope you like it.

Folly

Chapter 2: American Nightmare

"What seems to be the problem?" Amanda asked as soon as she rounded the corner and surveyed the miserable looking man tied to a plastic chair.

"Good to see you too," Mike remarked, rising from his own seat to embrace his daughter.

"As I was telling Mike, I need the proper supplies to maintain the quality of product that Gus is expecting," the man interjected.

Amanda cast him a haughty expression and pondered kicking his chair. Deciding not to accelerate the anger of all parties, she settled on glaring at him instead. "Did I ask you a question?"

"Excuse me?" the man asked, looking indignant.

"I said: Did I ask you a question?" Amanda repeated in a deadly calm tone.

The man instantly knew where this was going, "Look, you wanted an explanation-"

Amanda was quick to cut him off, "I don't care what you think. If I did, then I would address you directly. Do you understand?"

The man made a dismissive gesture and put her under a scrutinizing gaze, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"Look, you're the one tied to the chair here. Do you really need to be unconscious too?" Amanda responded heatedly.

"Hey, hey! Let's all just try to calm down here," Jesse interrupted, coming to stand between the woman and his partner, "Mister White, what exactly is the problem?"

"Well, as I was trying to explain, without the right buffer the batch will be ruined," Mr. White explained.

"Why did you tie him up?" Amanda asked her father.

Mike shrugged, "He was acting out."

The woman turned a frustrated glance to the chemist, then came to kneel at eye level to dominate his full attention. "If this is the problem, then you ask politely for what you need. If your request is refused, then you patiently explain why you cannot work around the error. We are all reasonable adults here, and there is no need for childish antics," Amanda explained with a deep sigh of exasperation, "However, if you insist on acting like a preschool infant, you will be dealt with in an according fashion. Now, do you really want to go that route?"

Walter looked at his feet, "It was not my intention-"

It was Mike's turn to interrupt. "Walter, do you understand what the woman is saying?"

"Yes, I do," Walter replied, brow creasing in irritation. It was plain for Amanda to see that this man did not take to defeat-even when he was clearly at fault. A dangerous and unpredictable ally, that much was certain.

"So, when are you going to get the right chemicals so we can cook?" Jesse asked, bringing the group back to topic.

Mike groaned and flipped open his phone, no doubt dialing Gustavo. While he was busy with that, Amanda was left alone with the chemist and his assistant.

"So I take it you're one of Gustavo's?" Walter asked.

"As far as you're concerned, I'm Jesse's bodyguard," Amanda explained curtly, earning a curious stare from the young man.

"Jesse, is this true?" Walter questioned.

"Uh, yeah. It is," Jesse answered uncertainly, rubbing the back of his head and looking at the ceiling. He wasn't a very good liar.

Mike slowly ambled back to the group, "Alright, Walter. You got your wish, the chemicals you need are on the way right now."

"Good," Walter smiled, "Now, can you get me the hell out of these zip ties?"

"Are you going to behave?" Mike asked in a mocking tone.

Walter looked irritated, and had to fight to reign in his indignation. "Yes," he replied shortly.

Mike simply nodded and picked up a box cutter laying nearby. Now liberated, Walter shook out his wrists and let his full anger towards Mike and the young woman show. Then, his eyes widened as he watched her take a long sip from a mug of coffee. Coffee he had spiked with hallucinogens to keep Jesse busy while he dealt with his brother in law.

"Come on Jesse, it's time to get ready," he ordered, stalking off towards the sterilized lab gear. Jesse briefly turned to Amanda with an almost apologetic expression before heading in the same direction.

"I can see it now, Walter White is going to be the wrench thrown in this machine," the young woman remarked as she followed her father out to his car.

"Don't I know it," he remarked, "but I'm very glad you see it too. Don't let that one lead you to trouble, I don't want to see my baby girl get killed because of some idiot named Walter White."

Amanda chuckled at his remark, "If that oaf leads me to peril it will be my own fault for acting retarded."

Mike paused and looked back to his flesh and blood before climbing into that car, "Believe me, your biggest mistake would be to underestimate those two. What Walter lacks in common sense he makes up for in devious plans, and so far they've all been successful."

"I'll keep that in mind..." Amanda stated, then fell back and clutched her head.

Mike rushed to his daughter, though failed to catch her fall. She landed on her backside, hard. "Ohhh I schink I've bcheen given schomethin," she cursed, holding a hand to her head.

"Listen very carefully, Amanda," Mike soothed, pulling the woman up by her arm, "What symptoms are you having?"

The woman looked at her father with her face bunched and frantically tried to pull back her hair, but to no avail. She bent low in one swift motion and violently expelled the contents of her stomach. Eggs and noodles swirled in the grotesque puddle, mocking her. "A-ashid," she gasped, wobbling on her feet.

Mike's face contorted into a masque of rage as he calmly placed the woman in his car, "If you have to puke again, open the door." And with that, he began to stalk hurriedly towards the building.

Jesse looked up from the lab equipment he was struggling to scour as the door banged open and Mike stormed in wearing his anger openly. He walked straight up to Walter, grabbed him by the shirt, and slammed him against one of the great steel tanks.

"What did you do to her, Walter?" he asked viciously.

"What is this all about, Mike?" Walter pleaded, holding his hands up in an innocent gesture.

This only infuriated the man further. He banged the chemist against the wall to further his point and bore down on him with a feral growl. Then the lab phone began to ring. Reluctantly, he released Walter from his fatal grasp and answered with a grunt.

"Yeah...uh huh. I understand," he replied before ending the call. He cast Walter a disapproving look and started to amble towards the younger man who had been standing nervously off to the side.

In truth, Jesse could not meet Mike's gaze. He didn't know what was going on with Amanda, but he knew he was bad at being interrogated. "Uh, what up?" he asked as Mike crossed his arms and cast a somber look across his features.

"It seems your partner has done something very stupid, so listen carefully. Here are my keys, you are to drive with extreme caution on your way back to your apartment. Make sure that you are not followed. Do you know how to do that?" Mike asked.

Jesse nodded dumbly and accepted the small keyring.

"Good. Now, Amanda is feeling a little sick so if she tells you to pull over you need to do so immediately and discreetly. If a police officer stops to ask what's wrong, tell them that she's your wife and is going through a rough pregnancy. Do you understand?"

"What? I'm not telling anyone she's my pregnant wife!" Jesse exclaimed, putting his hands on his head and pacing in a circle, "I don't even know what's wrong with her anyway."

"You'll find out soon enough. Trust me kid, if you stick with that story nobody is going to come up with a lot of questions. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time; do you understand what I'm telling you to do?" Mike ordered sternly, warning the lad that there was no compromise on this.

"Yeah I understand but...what's going on?" Jesse asked, feeling like a broken record. He was really starting to get frustrated with being kept in the dark.

"It seems like your partner has slipped up. His brother in law is on his way here now to check out the place. Don't worry, I'll take care of your car. Now, time is of the essence and we've wasted enough stating the obvious. Get moving, kid."

Jesse's face constricted for a second, then he nodded and hurried from the building. As he made his way towards Mike's black compact, he could hear the sound of wretching from the other side. Rolling his eyes, he ran around to survey they tangled beauty, struggling to keep her hair out of the mess.

"Hey look, we..uh..don't have time for this right now. The DEA is on their way..." he tried to explain as he took her shoulders and gently shoved her inside. With a disgusted face, he sidestepped the vomit and shut the door, making his way to the driver's side.

"No sharp turns," Amanda mumbled from the backseat, gurgling slightly as the engine started.

"Yeah don't worry your pretty little head about a thing," Jesse responded, putting the gear in drive and pealing out of the laundry. He glanced back only once, satisfied to see his own red car hauling out of the lot at breakneck speed. Once he was on the road, he chanced a glance into the backseat. He was surprised to see Amanda staring straight back at him, pupils fully dilated and head cocked at a strange angle. The effect was almost eerie.

"Are you holding up okay back there?" he asked tentatively.

"I think I was drugged instead of you," Amanda stated abruptly, her words halting and strange.

"What?" Jesse asked with a start.

"Do you and Walter usually start your days with coffee?" she asked, coherent one second and rolling back into the seat the next.

"Yeah," Jesse replied softly, turning a hard expression to the road and gripping the wheel tensely. A small hand clasped him tightly about the shoulder, making him flinch and almost run off the road. "Hey, be careful alright?"

"I'm sorry, Jesse," Amanda sighed, as if there were a great weight behind the words.

Jesse felt a lump form deep in his stomach, he never liked having things hidden from him. "Uh, for what?" he asked carefully.

"For everything. I'm sorry I have to watch over you like you're a child, even though you're not. I'm sorry I have to report everything Gustavo asks about. I'm sorry that we had to meet again under these circumstances, too."

Jesse made to turn, then remembered he was behind the wheel. "When did we meet before?" he asked, racking his memory for her face.

"Oh, we whent to tha schame midlea school. I'm not schurprised you do-on't remember me, I was swo quiet back then. We had the schame biooology clasch in tha fifth grade," Amanda struggled. Her words were slow to come, and sloppily formed.

"Oh, I remember! You were the girl who put the toad in Emily Langston's hair. I always wondered how you got away with that!" Jesse exclaimed as memories he thought long forgotten bubbled to the surface, "I always wondered, was it you that put like...a dozen grasshoppers in her backpack the next week? Nobody else suspected you, but I knew you'd be pissed about getting suspended."

Amanda lolled back in her seat and gave an odd high pitched laugh, as if it got stuck in her throat and all she could manage to extract was a thin note, "Yeah, it was me."

"Woah, woah, woah!"Jesse shouted as he noticed the flashing lights behind him.

Amanda followed his gaze with the side mirrors and let out her own noise of panic, "Jesse, I'm trippin!"

"No, you're not. You're my wife, and you're having a rough case of morning sickness. Just play cool, and let me do all the talking."


	3. American Dream

A/N: I'm trying to stick to the show a bit here, so violent themes will continue to happen. The content is still going to be rated T until the spicy stuff comes, but just a heads up that children will die (to serve a plot bunny, of course) just like they do in the show. Speaking of the spicy stuff, I'm not sure exactly how long to delay it. PM/Review opinions welcome, and thank you all for your support!

Folly

Chapter 3: American Dream

"It's puff puff pass, Jesse, not smoke the whole thing," Amanda commented from the mass of blankets enveloping her slender form.

Jesse turned his head as he exhaled smoke through his nose and wordlessly handed the strange woman the joint. "So, any word yet on how long our little arrangement is supposed to last?" he asked.

Amanda rolled her eyes as she inhaled and thought carefully about her response. "Mike sees potential in you, and you can cook Walter's recipe. However, in the past you have been hot headed and screwed a lot of things up. Alas, it seems you need my services," she explained, taking a nice long drag on the joint. Closing her eyes, Amanda sucked the smoke into her lungs as deep as possible and exhaled with a noise of content.

"But it's my day off," Jesse insisted.

"I know, and how wonderful it is. The hours we spend locked in that lab are like cruel and unusual punishment," Amanda remarked.

"I'm not that bad," Jesse hedged, trying to hide his frown.

Luckily, Amanda was too busy laughing to notice. "Oh, you think it's you! Ha ha ha ha! No, it's Walter. I just can't stand his constant nagging. It's like having a shitty grandma."

That was all it took to break the damns of frustration that Jesse had been holding back for months, "Oh! You don't even know. This dude, like, has it out for me especially. Hes always like; Do this Jesse it's for your own good, Jesse you are such an idiot. I swear, all he does is tell me how stupid I am like he gets off on it or somethin'." By this time Jesse was standing, swinging his arms to emphasize his statements.

Amanda continued to laugh, this time along with her new companion, "Maybe he's just jealous."

Jesse immediately crossed his arms and looked away with a disbelieving expression. "Yeah, I kinda doubt that."

"Why?" Amanda pressed, cocking her own head to make eye contact with the young man. She was curious, but also sad to see a lack of confidence. Jesse had portrayed himself as secure in his traits, yet whenever questioned he reacted as if he despised them.

"Well, hes got a family and a life. I'm just some junkie," Jesse stated as if that would explain everything.

"Uh, you don't look like a junkie to me," Amanda stated in the same dull tone Jesse had used. In one graceful motion, she had risen from her fortress and deftly plucked the small roach from Jesse's fingers. "You hogged it! Now we have to smoke another."

"We?" Jesse asked, a coy grin crossing his face.

"Well, yeah! Unless for some reason you don't want to. If that's the case, it better be a good reason," Amanda explained, "Damn! Why is it so cold in here?"

"Uh, that's just the acid wearing off, duh. Haven't you ever taken the stuff before?" the young man teased, though he was dressed in a large hoodie and at least two shirts himself.

Jesse's phone rang from its place in his bedroom. He turned his head as if battling the urge to answer, then decided against it and instead waited for the obnoxious ringing to stop.

"Hey, man! Wazuuuuuu-" a distorted voice began drawl before Jesse found the extra unit and picked it up.

"What do you want, Badger?" he questioned, rolling his eyes towards the woman seated in his living room.

"Yo man, Skinny Pete and I are outside your house. Are you gonna let us in or what?" His friend's voice quipped.

Jesse glanced back to Amanda and then to the door. He did not like the idea of explaining her presence to his friends, nor did he wish to send them away. With the crazy week he had just gone through, he felt as if a familiar face would be almost soothing.

"Okay, just gimme a sec." Jesse hung up the phone and looked back to the young woman whose interest was still focused solely on him.

"Something wrong?" She asked.

"No. Uh, some friends of mine just decided to stop by so...I'm gonna go let them in," he stated more than explained, throwing on a beanie and tugging it down over his ears.

Amanda listened carefully to the conversation, committing every detail to memory.

"So are they trying to come after us?" Jesse asked.

"No, not yet. But they want your turf, man, it's gonna happen sooner or later," Skinny Pete answered, rubbing his hands together and looking at the ground uncomfortably. Jesse hadn't received the news well, and it was obvious his anger inspired mild fear in his so called friends.

"What exactly was it that they said to you?" Amanda spoke in a raised tone to silence the bickering idiots, which caused Jesse to look a little relieved.

"Why do you care? I thought you were just Jesse's girl. Jesse, is she in the business with you?" Badger shot back jealously.

Amanda cast him a haughty expression, "No, I'm not. And I care because this matter involves the safety of someone I love very much. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

The strange pair shifted their attention to Jesse and waited for him to respond. He gave them both a scathing look before shaking his head.

"Just answer her questions, alright?"

Badger and Skinny Pete looked at each other then burst out in an incoherent babble of speech.

"This dude came out of the shadows like they was water, man, and then he was all like-"

"No, no, he wasn't that badass. He was all like 'yo I heard you were sellin that sweet blue', and I was all like 'Uh, we've been outta that business for a long time bro' but he wasn't having any of it."

"Now you're getting it wrong, man! He tried to buy the stuff from us first, then some other guys came out with guns. It was intense Jesse, I don't know what you're into these days but these guys don't want to fuck around."

"Hold it!" Amanda shouted, quieting the babble, "So were they trying to get Jesse's product off the streets or randomly rob you?"

"It was all about turf, man, I swear. It was clear as day," Skinny Pete assured.

"Yeah, I gotta go with him on this one. It was definitely turf," Badger confirmed.

"Uh huh," Amanda remarked before standing to excuse herself. She smiled sweetly, giving Jesse and friends a little dip and mock curtsey. "Well, time to change the tampon!"

She made her way up the stairs, knowing that the three boys wouldn't dare venture near the bathroom if they thought she was really on her period. Which they did; they had no reason to disbelieve her. Once safely inside, she turned the water on and speed dialed her father.

"This better be important, kid, I'm busy," Mike's irritated drawl answered on the fourth ring.

"It is. The big guy has forbade me to call him while I am on this assignment, so I need you to get him in touch with me. There are guys on our turf, shaking down our men," Amanda explained quickly.

There was no reply, only the dial tone to indicate that the call had ended. With a sigh, Amanda dropped her pants and began to pee. In that moment, she hung her head and massaged her temples in the hopes of relieving some tension. Then her phone began to ring.

"Can't a girl pee in peace?" she breathed before checking the message.

It was only one word. _Pollos_.

"So you love me, huh?" Jesse teased as he watched Amanda's dark curls bob down the stairs. Her gray eyes had darkened, something he had come to understand as a foul mood indicator. He was just grateful that his friends had left-if he had to hear one more jibe about his "girlfriend," Jesse was sure he would vomit. And what was worse, she was absolutely beautiful but not actually his lover.

The woman chewed her bottom lip and cast the young man a worried glance. "Jesse," she began, then collapsed into the couch and lost herself to inner turmoil once more.

"Yeah...?" Jesse responded, growing suspicious. An ill feeling began to fester in his gut, and he knew he wouldn't like what she was about to say.

Amanda was very confused. She felt the urge to tell Jesse the truth bluntly, as if she couldn't bring herself to sugar coat or lie to the young man standing before her. As she gazed at him between her fingers she realized, with a start, that she was extremely attracted to him. His face was well proportioned, with a perfect aristocratic nose. His brindle stubble was glowing red in the light of the fading sun through the windows, highlighting his blue eyes.

Perhaps that was the cause of her weakness. The very thought made her seethe-she was vigilant! And she wouldn't let this punk make her crack now, after all these years.

"Out with it already! God, you're startin' to freak me out here," Jesse started, kicking at the ground and putting his hands behind his head in his standard defensive posture.

"I had to inform Gustavo about the encroachment on our territory. He has summoned us," Amanda explained, looking taxed.

"No way man, it's my day off!" Jesse shouted, shaking his head and backing away from the door.

"Jesse, please don't make my job suck," Amanda groaned.

"No! This is bullshit!" Jesse insisted, crossing his arms to indicate the matter was not longer up for discussion. Unfortunately for him, it still was.

"Jesse you have to come. I don't like this situation any more than you do but my orders are to keep you with me at all times, and I can't disobey. Or else."

"Or else what?"

Amanda shrugged, "I don't know the specifics except that I won't die. But, you know how Gustavo handles his business and should know that whatever it is will be terrible."

"Great...just, great," Jesse sighed, pacing around the space of the den.

"We should do something fun after our meeting," Amanda suggested, a hopeful expression on her face. She was dying to get some fresh air.

"What, like a date?" Jesse balked, then backpedaled. Of course it wasn't a date, she was his babysitter after all. It was probably part of her job to keep him occupied during his spare time.

Amanda looked up, gray eyes meeting blue, and let the ghost of a smile creep across her face. "You know what, Jesse, I like the sound of that." And she did-the thought of finding some way to relent Jesse's forceful flow of anxiety seemed like an oasis.

Jesse decided to play hard ball, he had been lead on by enough women to last a lifetime. "Is that part of your job?"

"What?" Amanda asked, genuinely confused.

"To get me to like you, get close," Jesse explained.

"Jesse, I'm already as close to you as I can get. Do you think you could manage to take a piss without me knowing?" Amanda replied, a small frown bending the corners of her rose colored lips.

Jesse looked at his feet, "Well, I hope you don't listen."


	4. Soul Corrupted

A/N: I was having a little trouble with FF posting this, and when I previewed it the word count was off. If you notice anything strange, I would greatly appreciate it if you would point it out. Thank you for reading! (Sorry for the inconvenience)

Folly

Chapter 4:

Soul Corrupted

The man's eyes rolled over in his head as a cool wind buffeted thick locks of greasy hair into his face. He opened his mouth and an odd choking sound issued from within as crimson tides spilled forth onto the thirsty sand. Falling to his knees, he struggled to remain strong against the current of wind pressing on his body with what he perceived to be unimaginable strength. Summoning a final burst of energy, the man reached for his throat to touch the ugly gash that marred it, all the while making a grotesque smacking noise as he struggled for air.

Amanda gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. "Ohmygosh, Gustavo! Who is this man? Why are you showing me this?" she moaned, taking a few steps back from the gruesome scene.

"Amanda, I'm shocked. I hadn't the faintest idea you were sensitive to this type of thing," Gustavo replied, looking at the two youngsters with a consoling expression.

"That's why I chose to specialize in not killing," she stated, still staring wide eyed at the bleeding corpse.

Gustavo nodded his acknowledgment of her talents, "This man is part of the group you informed me about. Except that there is something else interesting about him."

"And what is that?" Jesse asked, brow furrowed in confusion. He kept looking from the corpse to Gustavo as if this scene was a nightmare from which he couldn't wake.

"This man was also working as an informant for the DEA. Jesse, it seems as if your partner is getting...sloppy," Gustavo calmly explained, catching Jesse's gaze and holding it firmly to drive his point home.

He didn't miss his mark.

"Are you serious?" he yelled, looking around the area as if the feds were hiding in the bushes. When he returned his gaze to Gustavo, the man seemed not to have moved a muscle.

"Yes. And do you understand the implications of their success?" he patronized.

Jesse gave him an irritated scowl, "I'm not that stupid, alright."

"What do we do?" Amanda asked, looking fearful.

"Leave that to me. I just wanted to thank you for your dedication," Gustavo smiled and made a gesture of dismissal.

Amanda bowed her head and grabbed Jesse's arm when he didn't move to leave, dragging both of their sorry behinds to the car.

"Can you believe that? It's like he just murdered that guy in front of us for fun," Jesse cried as soon as they were alone inside Amanda's suburban.

"It's not our place to question, Jesse," she explained as she started the engine. She scanned the area with a morose expression and took the least bumpy path towards the road.

"How can you say that?" he asked as if he couldn't believe her words.

"Because I like my job and do not wish to die," Amanda explained shortly, keeping her eyes on her driving.

"Oh come on, I could tell you were upset. What did you mean when you said you specialized in not killing people, anyway?" Jesse questioned.

"Well, I have devoted much time and study into the art of leaving no witnesses yet spilling no blood in the process," the woman stated proudly.

"Huh," Jesse commented as he turned to his thoughts.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amanda asked defensively.

"What's what supposed to mean?" Jesse replied with a raised brow.

"You made a noise as if you had some thought, yet you kept it to yourself. I would very much like to know what that thought was."

Jesse laughed, "Do you really want to know?"

Amanda turned her head to meet the depths of his blue eyes, "If I didn't want to know, why would I ask?"

"Alright, I get the point."

Amanda waited for him to continue, growing impatient after a few moments had passed. "So...?" she prodded, waving a hand for him to continue.

Jesse rolled his eyes and snorted, "I was just thinking how ironic it is that you don't kill, considering your profession and all."

"I do when I have to. If it's them or me, and other such situations," the girl admitted, looking abashed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jesse spoke somberly, slouching into the seat as if the burdens of the past were literally pushing him down.

"One day," Amanda said as if it were a promise.

"One day what?" Jesse asked tensely.

"One day we will be free of this," Amanda nodded her head, smiling warmly.

Gustavo pulled a tape from his pocket and popped it into the recorder, pressing play with a grim frown. His employee, Mike, sat across the table wearing an equally sour face.

"Why can't you just wait your turn like everyone else? I have my own personal life, too," Saul Goodman's irritated voice filled the silent space of the room.

"Because, this is important," Walter White carefully explained.

"Look, you always say that. Is it? Generally not for me. Anyhow, best piece of advice to you is to keep your head down and ride this thing into the sunset. You'll be done in a few months time, so just behave until then and you'll be out of all this," Saul ranted, an exasperated tone pervading his voice.

"Saul," Walter chided.

"What?" the lawyer quipped.

"Gus has sent someone into Jesse's home. He cannot escape her for more than a second. Can you imagine what kind of hell that must be for him?" Walter pressured.

"Oh yeah it must be _terrible_ to be placed under the protection of a beautiful woman. Do you even know who she is, by the way?" Saul snapped.

"No, why don't you enlighten me?" came Walter's half sarcastic response.

"Uh, I'm sorry but no can do. If you really want to know, why don't you ask your employer," Saul responded.

Gustavo stopped the recorder once more and gazed silently across the table at Mike.

Mike rolled his eyes and sat up a little straighter in his chair, "So what do you want me to do about this?"

A knock on the door made Jesse and Amanda simultaneously let go of the popcorn bowl. It spilled all over their makeshift bed with a soft _thud_ as curses flew from their mouths.

"Expecting anyone?" Amanda asked.

"No, don't you think I'd tell you if I was?" Jesse responded.

"Perhaps you forgot? Anyhow, I'll get it," Amanda replied, rising from the mess as Jesse scrambled to corral it. On her way, she pulled a knife from her hoodie pocket and cautiously opened the door.

A burst of flame greeted her, singing gigantic holes in her favorite sweater. "Noooo!" She cried, catching a glimpse of Walter's face as he kicked her back through the door.

"Jesse, run! I'm here to save you!" He screamed, causing Jesse to bolt towards the back door.

"Jesse, no! It'll only hurt you!" Amanda cried in contradiction, eliciting hesitation from the young man.

"Are you stupid, Jesse? She's keeping you prisoner here," Walter yelled to the young woman.

Amanda lashed out with the knife and managed to slice his hip as Mike came bursting in through the door with a gun.

"Hold it right there, Walter," he commanded in a sinister tone.

Water turned, spray can and torch still in hand. "You were following me? Were you sitting on my house?" he asked indignantly.

"It's really none of your business, Walter. Now, drop your weapons and slowly turn around."

"And if I don't?" Walter dared.

"Then I will shoot you where you stand," Mike explained as if he were talking to an idiot. Which, apparently, he was.

"Oh come on, Mike. Don't pretend like Gus doesn't need me."

"One last chance, Walter," Mike sighed his impatience, cocking his gun and aligning it to the spot between his adversary's eyes.

Grudgingly, Walter placed his weapons on the ground and turned around as requested. Mike drew forwards, patting him down to check for any more tricks the man might be hiding. Finding none, he grabbed Walter roughly by the arm and started to drag him from the house.

"Wait!" Amanda cried, hurrying towards the two.

Her father turned, cocking an inquisitive brow as she walked right up to his captive and slapped him in the face.

"You ruined my favorite hoodie, my _only_ hoodie, you dick!" she spat before whirling around and presenting her back with her arms crossed. The sounds of struggle crossed the threshold as the door slammed shut, leaving the two youngsters in silence.

Amanda shook her head and surveyed her burnt sweatshirt with a mournful expression. "I'm sorry, old friend," she spoke, rubbing a bit of singed fabric between her fingers.

"What _was_ that?" Jesse asked, drawing closer to the woman. Her deep auburn curls were reflecting just a ghost of color in the dim light, and the singe marks revealed large pieces of her skin. Jesse had to swallow hard and banish uninvited thoughts from his mind-now was not the time for romance.

"It's the reason I have to stay here with you in the first place. It's your partner, hes dangerous. Haven't you noticed that he has grown to be more and more violent? What happens when you cross the line, or Gustavo, Mike, anyone? All people who are just trying to do their job and avoid confrontation," Amanda ranted, her knuckles growing white around bunches of tattered fabric, "And that bastard compromised you. His brother-in-law could be watching us here, could be watching him. Gustavo told me that the DEA might be looking into him since the first clue they found lead right to him."


	5. Dark Intruder

Sorry for the long update! Now, things are going to get a bit darker from here as danger closes and Jesse and Amanda are pushed closer and closer together.

Folly

Chapter 5: Dark Intruder

"I'm sorry, Jesse," were the first words out of Walter White's mouth when the two youngsters entered the lab.

Mike Ehrmantraut had an entirely different reaction. He had to fight the urge to wipe a sneer off his lips as he saw his daughter wearing Jesse's sweatshirt. He couldn't claim to have raised her, but the protective urge was still the same. It made his stomach flip to see the way the kid slouched over her, a sharp contrast to her perfect posture.

"For what?" Jesse asked, bringing Mike out of his thoughts.

"That I couldn't help you," Walter explained as if it were obvious. Now this, Mike thought, was real comedy; the old idiot trying to help a child that has more common sense in his left shoe.

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed...I don't need help!" Jesse argued, becoming aggressive.

Walter looked down at him with a haughty expression and opened his mouth as if to counter, but was interrupted by the lab phone. Without a word, Mike answered and listened to the man on the other line. After a few moments, he walked over to Amanda and handed over the chunky silver receiver with a shrug.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Amanda, I have found a job suited to your...talents," Gustavo's calm voice replied.

"Alone I take it?" the woman asked.

"Yes," he confirmed and ended the call.

With a sigh, the young woman turned back to the assembled men. "Mike, will you follow me out to my car?"

"All I'm saying is don't be an idiot," Mike patiently explained to his riled daughter. She hadn't responded well when he interrogated her about her full time job, accusing her of getting attached.

"I'm not. Now, do you know what Gustavo is about?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Not a clue. Good luck, though. I want to see you come back in one piece," the elder man replied, giving the woman a brief hug before she climbed into her car.

"I will, don't worry," Amanda responded before shutting the door. She watched her father stroll back into the laundry with a pained expression before starting the car and taking off.

When she finally made her way down the dusty driveway, the rows of cheap structures seemed to leer at her. Her sixth sense told her something was wrong, so she prepared herself to be extra alert.

Gustavo had another guest in his office as she made her entrance, a young man with bleach blonde hair. He waved to her when she entered, casting her an innocent and dull smile.

"Hello, um?" Amanda started, waving back awkwardly.

"Todd," the boy clarified, his smile seeming to grow.

"Well, now that introductions are over let's get down to business," Gustavo interrupted.

"Let's," Amanda replied, sliding into the seat next to the newcomer's, happy to avoid interaction for the moment.

"I need you to reclaim a debt," the well groomed man began, "A man in his thirties, black hair and tan skin. His name is Frank, and he lives at 1800 Stillwater Dr, just a couple of blocks from your favorite Kroger."

Amanda rolled her eyes, "I don't have a favorite, that one just happens to have the coffee I like."

"Moving on," Gustavo warned, "you are to make sure that fifty thousand dollars makes it's way back to me."

"And the kid?" Amanda asked, nodding her head towards Todd.

Gustavo smiled, "Consider him a trainee."

"Oh, this is too perfect, Todd. Shh! Keep a low profile for a second, okay? I have to do something," Amanda whispered, pulling out her ipod and glancing playfully at the man counting his money on the front porch. She scrolled down to Metallica and selected Whiskey in the Jar.

Waiting until the appropriate moment, she turned the music to full volume and stepped out of the car and slowly advanced on the man. The whimsical tune seemed to almost make her levitate, rich curls floating sideways past her face.

"As I was going over the Cork and Kerry Mountains, I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was countin'." The man looked up from his furtive movements and the color began to drain from his cheeks.

"I first produced my pistol," James Hetfield sang as Amanda pulled out her own small silver revolver.

"I then produced my rapier," Now Amanda was holding a deadly bowie knife.

"I said; stand and deliver, or the devil he may take ya," She sang with Hetfield, a wide psycotic grin crossing her face as she stood before the pale man with her weapons drawn.

Slowly, he handed her the money. She bent down and gave his pockets, waistband, and socks a gentle pat before returning to the car. Before she could focus clearly, Todd had pulled out his gun and fired three shots. Turning, Amanda saw the corpse of a toddler laying next to his dead father.

The woman rushed over to the dead bodies, a look of intense pain splayed across her fair features. "No, no, no, no," she repeated, tears beginning to blur her vision. Within moments, a steady hand came to rest on her shoulder. Looking up, she met the unruffled expression of the person who had just murdered

a child. A _real_ child.

With a fury she never knew she had, Amanda turned on Todd like a bat out of hell. She grabbed him by the collar, twisted it, and began to viciously punch him in the face. Soon, they fell to the ground. This did not stop the woman in her rage. She smashed her knuckles against his nose, his mouth, his eyes, his forehead, his ears, yet it did nothing to lessen the anguish gripping her heart.

When she had finally calmed down, all that remained of Todd's face was a crumbled mass of skin and bone.

"No, no, no, no!" she began to cry, listening for the sound of the young man's breath. Finding none, she began to push on his chest and blow air into his lungs. After what seemed like hours, he let out a gasp that quickly turned into a strangled cry of pain.

"Come on, come on," she urged as she dragged his limp body to her car and hefted him into the back seat. Driving like the devil was on her tail, and perhaps he was, Amanda raced back to Gustavo in the hopes that his doctor could fix this mess.

Gustavo looked calmly at the young man laying dead in the New Mexico dust. He was a mess of a corpse, and thankfully not his to clean.

"Take him back to the lab. Walter will know what to do with him," Gustavo calmly explained to the red faced woman collecting herself on the steps leading to his office.

"We could have saved him...," she whimpered.

"No, Amanda, the damage is already done. What kind of life could he lead without sight or sound?" Gustavo pressed in a soothing manner. Despite his tough love, he held a certain fondness for the whelp he took in many moons ago.

Despite his efforts, his words only reduced the woman to sobs once more. "Only a child..."

"Get a grip on yourself, Amanda. Now, get back into your car and finish what you started," the man ordered, gesturing towards the muddy vehicle parked only feet away, "I'll get you a bag. By the way, the child was calling the authorities. Think about that, and the actions that followed."

"What is this?" Walter asked as the young woman hefted something large towards him. He couldn't tell what it was through the black plastic, but he was pretty sure it was a body.

"You know what it is. Gustavo said you had a good method of disposal," The woman replied in a hollow voice, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Okay, and may I ask-"

"You may ask nothing, Walter," Mike drawled, cutting the man short.

Walter looked at Mike with a stormy expression, loathing his white stubble and bald head. "I think I'm entitled to a little compensation here."

"Your job is compensation. Now do as the lady asked, for your own good," Mike chastised, motioning for Walter to get a move on.

"This attitude will be the death of you, Walter," Amanda's hollow voice croaked through the freshly settled silence. All attention was turned to her.

"Excuse me?" Walter asked, indicating that she should shut her mouth or else. The point was not taken.

"This need to be overly compensated for every little thing you do. The sense of entitlement and power, it will earn you a shallow grave, this I promise you," Amanda's dry voice was quite matter of fact.

Walter was jarred, he had never analyzed himself like that before. He knew he had been swaggering around, just as entitled as she had described. Yet he felt no shame, remorse, or motivation to change. He was the _chemist._ He could do anything he damn well pleased. Standing slowly, he paced like a predator towards the vulnerable looking woman. He knew he had her at a disadvantage-he could still see where fresh tears had irritated the skin around her eyes.

"Entitled, huh?" Walter slowly drawled, letting his slightly rancid breath roll down into the beauty's face before turning to Mike and Jesse, "And do you two see it that way?"

Then, a noise caught Walter's attention before he was truly aware of it. A shiver ran down his spine and caused him to take two steps back as the gristly sound continued to fill the air around him. Soon, Amanda's vicious snarl rent the tension in two as she threw herself on him like a feral animal.

"YOU TRY TO HURT JESSE!" She screamed, slapping him open handed as hard as she could. His glasses made a tinkling sound as they landed someplace far away, broken. "YOU TRY TO HURT MIKE!" The lab equipment seemed to rattle with the force of her voice alone. "YOU TRY TO DEFY GUSTAVO!" Her hand was starting to hurt as she noticed the old man's face begin to turn purple. Calming, she climbed off of him and straightened her clothes. "But mark my words, Walter White, the instant you succeed you will die by my hand."

"Listen here you little shit!" Walter roared and attempted to gain his feet, though Mike took a few steps and maneuvered him into a nearby chair.

"Listen to what?!" Amanda exclaimed, still furious, "Listen to you convince me not to protect the business that is family to me? Do you not protect your own? Tell me, what would you do if I held a gun to your wife's head? To Walter Jr.'s head? From now on, when you try to hurt people, take into consideration that they have people who care just like Skylar and Holly."

"You know about my children?" Walter asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and if it comes down to your loved ones or mine; well, you already know the answer," Amanda replied.

In that moment, Jesse realized how dangerous this woman really was. Standing there, disheveled, in blood stained jeans, she looked like a beast from hell.

What he didn't know is that he would do well to remember that.


	6. Haunted Sea

Folly

Chapter 6: Haunted Sea

Amanda whimpered as her father tucked her into scratchy motel blankets.

"I know, kid, just relax and I'll be back for you in the morning," Mike soothed, his gravelly voice taking on a strange quality.

"I hate Gustavo," the woman huffed in a strangled voice, failing to mask a hiccup.

"You and I both know that isn't true. You'll forgive him by morning, like always."

"I especially hate Walter. Can we kill him?" Amanda continued in a childish voice.

Mike sighed, starting to get irritated. "I wish, baby girl. Now, lets talk about you."

"I don't want to talk about anything," Amanda immediately defended, burrowing further into her uncomfortable fabric cocoon.

"Listen Jesse," Walter's voice crackled from Amanda's coat pocket, low and angry. Mike immediately stood and gave his daughter a curious look. He extracted a small device from her pocket, raising his eyebrows as his gaze took in the advanced technology.

"No! You've gone too far. You see how Mike..._babies_ her. Besides, I don't want to see anyone else dead. I'm not a killer, Mr. White," Jesse responded angrily.

"You don't have to do anything, just go out with Amanda and leave her alone for a few minutes. I'll slip the nightshade-"

"Nightshade? Why not the ricin? But that's beside the point. You touch her, and I'll kill you myself," Jesse shouted. Then a loud banging could be heard, as if someone was punching a filing cabinet. "Yo, what the hell, man?"

"A pretty flower for a pretty lady," Walter mumbled lowly.

Mike deduced that Walt must be standing very close to his daughter's bug. "Where are they right now?" he asked the drunken woman laying pale on the bed, eyes focused on the receiver. She made to reply, but was cut off by her charge's angry tone.

"What?" Jesse asked Walter, his voice sounding an octave below hysterical.

"A pretty flower for a pretty lady, don't you see? It's us or them, Jesse," the old man stated as if it were an obvious fact.

"They're at Saul's. The bog turns on at the sound of Wilter's vooce," Amanda burbled, reaching for some water to bring her to her senses.

"Maybe if we're lucky, we can get Gustavo and Amanda at the same time. Without them, Mike will have no choice but to work for us. It's perfect," Walter soothed.

"No, nuh uh." There was the sound of pottery smashing and then a deep sigh.

"Jesse, please sit down and try to understand."

_Come on Jesse...do the right thing..._Amanda thought, chewing on her lip in agitation as a deep silence pervaded the room once more.

"You're crazy, yo," Jesse breathed so lowly it was almost inaudible to the two eavesdroppers.

"Jesse.."

"Stay away from me. man..."

"Jesse please, just listen. Don't forget that we need to stay alive, too!" Walter roared, switching to vinegar when honey didn't work.

"Just stay away!" Jesse shouted. Mike and Amanda exchanged dark glances as a door banged shut and Walter began to curse violently to himself.

Mike switched off the receiver and locked gazes with his daughter.

"I know," she spoke, bunching the blankets around herself and cradling her cell phone. If Jesse didn't call her to report what just transpired, she knew his head would be on the chopping block right next to Walter's.

"Be careful what you wish for," Mike joked, managing to force a small smile across his daughter's face.

"I want to be the one to bump him off," Amanda stated fiercely, her eyes clear and sharp. She almost jumped off the bed when her phone began to vibrate, tearing her away from murderous thoughts. "Hello?"

"Amanda, it's Jesse," the young man stated, panting as if he were out of breath.

"You did the right thing by calling. Come to the Day's Inn three exits down from town. I'm in room 115, you're staying here for the night. I'm worried that your rebellion against Walter has incited his rage," Amanda spoke quickly, clearly. One would never be able to guess that she was sauced.

"What? Does that mean you think he might try to hurt me?" Jesse asked, a fresh wave of panic apparent in his voice.

"Worse, maybe. Make sure he doesn't follow you. He can't call Saul, so he will have to do it himself. If he _is_ tailing you he will hang back . If you see a car sticking with you in traffic, go a different way. Stop and get some food if you're never on the road by yourself-"

"Okay, _mom._ I get it, I'll be there. Don't worry about me; just look after yourself," Jesse replied.

"I _am_ going to fucking worry about you until I can inspect you with my own two eyes. Get your butt here in one piece, or else," Amanda quipped before flipping the phone shut and taking a deep breath. As soon as she exhaled, she was dialing another number.

"Gus?" Mike asked lazily, taking a seat on the bed next to his little girl.

Amanda nodded quickly, "Fuck no am I going to let that bastard touch my Gustavo."

"Hey, calm down now. This is no reason to get upset, you know that. Now give me the phone, it's better if I talk to him." Mike gently extracted the metallic device from Amanda's palm and answered the questioning male voice on the other end.

"Hey Gus, I've got bad news," Mike started, "No, it's better if we talk in person...understood."

"Hey! I get dibs on hurting the bitch!" Amanda called, hoping Gustavo would understand. It was also her life on the potential line, after all.

"That's enough," Mike yelled when he hung up the phone. Not too loud, but firmly enough to shut up his screaming child.

The two Ehrmantrauts settled into an uncomfortable silence. They looked at each other uneasily, fire in their eyes. Finally, Mike was the first one to break the tension.

"I've gotta go, baby girl," he sighed, "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"You know I won't," Amanda immediately replied, standing to give her father a parting hug.

"You can never be too careful," Mike replied, the double meaning not lost on the slender woman.

"I'm having trouble remembering who said Saul's office didn't need a bug," Amanda jested, earning a disproving glare from Mike. Her face fell into a dark mask as soon as the door swung shut behind her father and she began to beat the bed with an unrelenting force.

Amanda settled down after a while, finally able to process recent events. She knew now, more certain than ever, that she truly despised the man named Walter White. Her anger for him was white hot, coiled like a snake and restless, eager to bite the leg that stepped on it. She realized that, for the first time, she would feel joy about the death of another.

Her heart lurched as her thoughts turned to the ill fated man's partner. Walter's actions may possibly reflect on Jesse, though he didn't sign his death certificate by keeping quiet about the old man's devious intentions. Gustavo still needed a chemist, one that could pay off the lab unlike his Gale.

o*o*o*o*o*

Amanda had been watching television for an hour before she heard a car pull up and park in front of her room. Eagerly, she made her way to the window and peered out through a small crack in the blinds. What she observed made her blood run cold.

Walter was yelling something at Jesse from the passenger's seat, holding up an interceptor in one bloody hand. Jesse was hunched over towards the window, face bruised and bleeding, shaking his head and looking like a scared dog. _She's not here, I'm telling you,_ Amanda read from his lips.

Wasting no time, Amanda extracted an Uzi and her beloved bowie knife from a backpack in the corner. She loaded the gun with lightning speed and perfect precision before bursting of of the door, firing rapidly into the passenger side of the car.

The vehicle burst open as Jesse scrambled onto the ground and began to crawl towards his guardian, keeping his head lower than the gunfire.

"Get inside," Amanda ordered gruffly, not even casting a glance in Jesse's direction as she reloaded her gun, growing frustrated when it jammed.

Jesse watched as Walter jockeyed into the driver's seat, ducking to fiddle with something as Amanda walked towards him, extracting her knife from a knee high boot. Walter rose above the dash once more, holding the gun that had belonged to Jesse only hours before. "Amanda!"

Walter fired two shots into the girl's chest and one at her right leg before pealing out of the parking lot, car doors hanging open.

"Oh my god!" A woman's voice yelled, alerting Jesse to the witnesses that had watched the whole scene play out.

"Shit!" he cursed, moving to see if Amanda was still alive.

"Oww...," the woman was mumbling as Jesse's rough hands took hold of her under her arms.

Jesse was glad to find the odd woman alive. Strange little dots littered her clothes, though Jesse could only see the wounds on her legs bleeding.

"Rat shot," Amanda cursed as she accepted Jesse's help.

"We've got witnesses, what do we do now?" he asked urgently, afraid that the heat may be coming down.

"I'll start my car, you grab everything inside. Just shove everything into the backpack, all the items should be laying next to it. Call Gustavo," Amanda ordered as she found her feet again. Fighting through the pain, she jogged to her car and flung the door open, grateful that violence was commonplace in this section of town. All the witnesses had cleared away, eager to spread the gossip to their low life friends.

"Here, he wants to talk to you," Jesse stated as he took his place in the passenger seat. Amanda shifted into drive and circled around to the highway as she took the phone.

"It was an interceptor, I saw it and know the model well. All of our phones are compromised. I'm heading towards my first real birthday party and will wait for you there,"Amanda spoke, hanging up before Gustavo could respond. Without any further ado, she got out of the car and placed the phone under a front wheel of her car.

"Well, that's the end of that."

o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"I told you it would hurt," Amanda chuckled as she continued to dab Jesse's face with rubbing alcohol, "Besides, haven't you been through this before?"

"Not concious-ow! Go easy!" Jesse winced as Amanda swabbed out a particularly deep gash.

"These injuries are going to scar your face, just a heads up," the woman remarked, abandoning the swab for a surgical needle and sterile thread, "What was the weapon?"

"That metal box you saw him holding, ow! Can't you give me a break for a while?"

Amanda chuckled darkly, "Well, do you want big, hideous scars, or little scars that nobody will notice?"

Jesse sighed in response and let Amanda continue to patch him up.

"That's what I thought."

"Don't you have a doctor for this kind of situation?" Jesse inquired after Amanda had finished with his face.

"Not always, like right now," the woman shrugged, appearing casual as she used a long silver tool to dig small balls out of her leg. "Ah!" she exclaimed, hitting a tender spot.

Jesse smirked despite himself. "Yeah, hurts huh?"

Amanda was distracted from her ire when she heard the familiar hum of her boss' seldom used Cadillac, the car in which she first learned to drive. "Gustavo's here!" she sang, forgetting her injuries and jumping to her feet. She watched Jesse quirk a brow when she sucked in a breath of air, standing unsteadily as the bolts of fire receded from her legs.

"It's okay, Amanda, I can show myself in," Gustavo's cool voice echoed in the small one room house, "Everything is going to be just fine."

A/N: Extremely grateful to all of you who fav'd and followed.


	7. Monster Zero

Folly

Chapter 7: Monster Zero

Gustavo looked up from Amanda's concerned face when a loud vibration sounded from his pocket. He flipped open the phone and discovered that the caller was Gabriella, one of the two employees guarding the entrance to the safe house.

"Yes?" he answered gruffly, already irritated by the intrusion.

"The DEA just drove up," Gabriella replied, her normally surly voice laced with worry.

Gustavo immediately hung up the phone and surveyed his employees. "The DEA is here," he announced, already turning towards the back of the house.

"What?" Jesse asked into the bustling silence that filled the air. Mike and Amanda had immediately burst into the process of removing every trace of their existence from the room while Gustavo had calmly walked down the hallway. He couldn't help but be irritated as the man removed his jacket, completely anal as he always was.

"Shut up," Amanda grunted, moving around in an odd hunched position, "and for the love of the gods, duck down below window level."

Jesse immediately obeyed, switching his attention to Mike Ehrmantraut. He was surprised to find those hard eyes boring back into his own. "Amanda," he spoke, never taking his eyes from Jesse, "Take the kid and make sure Gustavo gets away clean. It's been a long time since anyone has been in those tunnels."

"No, I'm not leaving you to get snapped up by those savage hounds," Amanda immediately responded in a fierce, indignant whisper.

"That's an order, now go!" Mike commanded.

"Dad!" Amanda hissed, eyes dark.

"Go." Mike's tone was so cold it make the hairs on the back of Jesse's neck stand up. This time, he knew Mike was speaking directly to him. The old man continued to watch as, stunned, Jesse turned on his heels and grabbed Amanda, pulling her into the depths of the house.

"When were you gonna tell me that Mike is your father?" Jesse asked angrily as the two began a light jog down the main hallway, past the bathroom and into a closet.

"This is neither the time, nor the place," Amanda replied, seemingly calm as her tiny fingers ran nimble circles across the carpet of the floor. "Aha," she breathed, pressing hard on one particular spot. Then she stood, pressing a screw that held the coat rack in place. With a grating noise, a false panel revealed itself and the dark passage beyond.

"It doesn't look safe in there," Jesse commented, taking notice of the rotting wood timbers that kept the walls in place.

"How much information do you think the DEA has right now? Do you want to find out?" Amanda replied, grabbing the young man's arm and forcing him inside.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice."

"No, you don't. Besides, there is only one answer." Amanda laughed darkly, yet laced her fingers reassuringly through Jesse's left hand. "Everything is going to be okay, no matter what. Understand?"

Jesse took a deep breath as Amanda flipped a switch that closed the false wall, sealing them into an impenetrable darkness. "How are we supposed to find our way out?" he asked.

"I grew up in these tunnels. Even though the electric is bad, I should be able to feel our way out. More or less; it has been some years since I've been down here." Amanda began to pull Jesse along, slowly, only stumbling once or twice.

After a while, she began to softly call Gustavo's name, reminding Jesse of a dog searching for its master. _He practically raised me..._Amanda's words echoed in his head. Jesse couldn't help but feel uneasy in the quiet of the tunnels, knowing he was the odd man out.

"I'm here, Amanda," Gustavo finally replied, his voice an octave above a whisper.

"Good. How are you faring?" Amanda asked.

"I could be better. This darkness is damnable, at best," the kingpin replied casually, as if this were a mere hike.

"I'll see you safely out," Amanda assured, "Take Jesse's hand for now, we're almost finished."

"Amanda?" Mike's gruff voice called from the shadows.

"I'm here!" Amanda immediately replied, letting go of Jesse's hand. She scurried down the musty corridor, following the sound of her father's voice until her hand made contact with his bald head. "Oh, sorry. Is everything alright?"

"No, it damn well isn't. Someone took a picture of you and the kid back at the motel," Mike replied, sighing deeply, "Take a guess where it ended up."

"The news or a rival gang. Those are my guesses," Amanda responded dryly. Sometimes her father's sarcasm wore greatly on her nerves.

"You got it the first time," Mike replied, following Amanda's lead until she thrust his hand into the warm palm of his boss.

After a few moments the wall became wet and slimy, causing Amanda to put an arm out and try to stay in the center of the tunnel. This idea turned out to go horribly awry when she reached the last fork in the tunnels, bumping head first into the dividing wall.

Jesse's heart began to beat rapidly as he heard the earth shift, a fine mist of dust and pebbles falling into his short hair.

"Everyone grab hold of Jesse!" Amanda screamed, pulling the mass of bodies away from the larger rock that was starting to fall. That was not enough, as section after section of tunnel began to collapse all around them. Through the falling rock, Amanda ran as fast as she could. If she could just make it to the last intersection that they had passed, they could reach the old room Gustavo had built for her when she was a teen.

"Gus is hurt!" Jesse called out, pulling hard on Amanda's arm to slow.

"Mike, can you carry him?" she immediately asked.

"Jesse, help me lift him," the elder Ehrmantraut commanded, fumbling in the dark with his employer's limp body.

Once Gustavo was mobile, the group began to make slow progress underneath the shaking structure. Jesse felt as if Amanda was leading them through an endless maze as water began to drip on his head and strange textures crumbled under his feet. He felt her trip, landing hard on her knees.

"Hey, I found an old flashlight!" the young woman exclaimed, illuminating a metal door painted beautifully with an autumn sunset over a small valley.

"What is that?" Jesse asked, taken aback by the fading mural in the weak light.

"_That _would be my old room. Welcome home to me!" Amanda pushed the door open and motioned the others into the inky blackness. She went straight for the back corner and began blowing dust off of an old generator.

"You just happen to have a generator in here?" Jesse huffed.

"Duh. Even back in the day the power was faulty. I just couldn't let that get in the way of a good pillow fight," Amanda replied evenly.

"You don't seem like the type," Jesse replied hotly. He wasn't one to tolerate patronization.

Amanda groaned as the old generator came sputtering to life. "We only have a few hours of fuel."

"That's enough time," Mike interjected as he hefted Gus to the bed. "It's just a concussion, he should be fine."

"Will there be anyone looking for us?" Amanda asked tactfully.

Mike took a long glance over his shoulder before nodding his head, "If I don't report in by midnight."

"What are we supposed to do for two hours?" Jesse asked.

"Entertain yourself," Amanda replied, pulling a moth eaten blanket from a dusty dresser and curling up into an oversized chair.

0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

The white walls and crude plastic partitions of the make-shift hospital gave Jesse the shivers. He watched numbly as Amanda stared blankly at the wall, allowing the doctor to take her blood pressure and peer down her throat. She seemed not to notice when he shined a small light into each eye, gaze still fixed on the blank wall.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked shortly from the bed beside her, having also taken notice to this new strange behavior.

"I really need some rest," Amanda replied, the strain in her voice emphasizing her words.

"Well, you're in pretty good shape so you can go home any time," Dr. Hellsburn chimed in, rolling his chair back to Gustavo.

"Is he okay?" Amanda asked weakly.

"He will be back to one hundred percent by morning," Hellsburn confirmed.

"Cool. You ready to go, Jesse?" the woman continued, looking back to her charge.

"Not so fast," Mike interrupted, "Don't forget that you both are the prime targets of the local police and possibly the DEA. If anyone sees you there is a good chance you'll wind up behind bars."

"Damn, I guess I did forget about that. What can Saul do?" Amanda mused.

"Saul? You've got to be kidding me," Jesse exclaimed.

"Why not?" Amanda replied.

Jesse fidgeted under her scrutiny, "Hasn't he, like, done enough for us already? I mean, it seems like every time we call him things get worse."

"Oh, the lawyer isn't the problem," Mike laughed, earning a glare from Jesse.

"Think of Saul as a genie," Amanda interrupted in a polite tone, "You have to be careful what you wish for, lest it backfire on you."

"How does that make sense?" Jesse responded grumpily.

"I don't know, Jesse! I'm really tired, hungover, and dehydrated. Thinking hurts, can't you just let me be numb?"

Jesse's body stilled as her voice awakened buried emotions. _Can't you just let me be numb?_ Those were the same words that thundered in his head as Walter White had pulled him from tragedy to tragedy. Despite this, Jesse could only guess at Amanda's feelings. It was obvious she bore a decent amount of responsibility; more than Jesse could ever say he had owned up to.

"I'll call him," Jesse offered, wanting to be useful in some way.

Mike gave him an amused expression from his place beside Gus. "Go for it, the phone is over there," he allowed, nodding to a nightstand containing an ancient land line.

The young man picked up the receiver, fumbling with the strange rotating dial pad. After three unsuccessful attempts he finally got through.

"You've reached the office of Saul Goodman," a familiar female voice answered.

"It's Jesse Pinkman, put me through to Saul," Jesse announced harshly.

"Right away, Mr. Pinkman."


End file.
